Zhang Juzheng is one of the most famous person in the whole Ming Dynasty. He was the sole Grand Secretary( or the Prime Minister ), in effect ruling the entire Ming’s bureaucracy during the first ten years of the Wanli era (1563-1620).
He has been well-known by almost every Chinese people with his great achievements in the reform of tax policy (Single Whip Law) and attack of corruptions with the Assess Law.
At the same time, he has been a great mentor and consultant for the Wanli Emperor during his early year of the reign. One example is the picture book he authored when Wanli was 10 years old. This book is called “the Picture Book for an Emperor’s Reference”. It is composed of 117 stories in the history, in order to teach the child emperor how to rule a country.
These stories are very well selected, and still have their value in the modern society especially if you are in a manager position. In this series of blogs, I do my best to translate them according to some references and my understanding. I hope they can inspire us in our life as well.
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